Related Projects
Area
72,500 sf
In the Media
BOOM: New Architecture in Philadelphia, Exhibit at University of Pennsylvania
A Pioneering Move Enlivens a Marginalized Campus Area, Architectural Record
New Laurels for an Ivy, Business Week
Mod Pods, Philadelphia Inquirer
Good Design is Good Business
Business Week / Architectural Record Award
Honor Award for Design Excellence
AIA Pennsylvania
Award for Design Excellence
AIA Philadelphia
A primary design objective was to create a work environment that encourages teamwork and enthusiasm while having flexibility and character.
The design responds to the industrial character of the warehouse. Equipment remnants from the previous owners become an important component of the architectural approach.
A new two-story Headhouse provides a public identity and presence for the new occupants, visible both from Chestnut and Walnut Streets.
The warehouse is the pilot project for Penn’s eastward expansion. Upper floors are converted to apartments, and the vast ‘Track Level’ where freight trains used to unload is adapted for Penn Facilities.
Facilities &
Real Estate Services
University of Pennsylvania
A vast food distribution warehouse, constructed in 1929 for the Pennsylvania Railroad, and later used by General Electric for specialty manufacturing was available for conversion to University use. The site stands at a prominent location on Walnut Street, the central axis of the Penn campus.
The University of Pennsylvania has identified that their potential for long term campus growth is eastward several blocks, to the edge of the Schuylkill River, linking with downtown Philadelphia on the opposite bank. Presently, this area is an aging industrial edge zone with buildings and spaces that have exciting potential for development strategies.
The Precinct Plan addresses campus expansion to the east and the development of a new open space that extends the character of the existing campus landscape environment. The Plan recovers lost urban space, relocates parking, and establishes a University service zone. This infrastructure solidifies opportunities for future development.